Minutes of meeting of Hemingbrough Parish Council 18th
May 2017
Item. 17/083 Clerk’s – Mrs Julie Leighton-Eshelby - Report:- Parish Council Vacancy
“The clerk advised that
a resident had submitted a
petition to Selby District Council for an election to fill the Parish Council
vacancy and that Selby District Council have confirmed that the poll will take
place on Tuesday 27th June.”
A Resident? Here is what really happened.
TEN RESIDENTS on Hemingbrough’s electoral roll submitted a
petition to Selby District Council calling for an election to fill the vacancy
left by Councillors Eddie Kinsella. The
Clerk should, even MUST know this. ‘A
resident’ cannot do it.
The petition was signed by TWO PARISH COUNCILLORS independent
of village groups such as ‘The Parish History Society’ (Chairman Jan Strelczenie’
Group), ‘The Hall for Hemingbrough’ (Vice-chairman Bob Procter’s Group) or the
Hagg Lane Green Conservation Society (Councillor Harrison’s Group, supported by
ex-Chairman Councillor Drew.)
One candidate has his campaign leaflet carrying the legend ‘Published and Promoted by R. J. Procter’ the Council’s
Vice-chairman, and the other candidate has his campaign leaflet carrying the legend
‘Published and Promoted by R. B. Chilvers’, the Councillor GAGGED
at last week’s Council for ‘disturbing the meeting’. WHY? For preparing to ask ‘awkward’ questions to the
Chairman and Vice-chairman about the ‘Hall for Hemingbrough’, the almost mythical,
rolling, Grass Cutting Contract of indeterminate length, and the old footpath
down Landing Lane that he wants restored for the benefit of residents, especially
the dog-walkers and parents of young children.
Selby Council, and independent Councillors, prefer residents to choose candidates to fill
vacancies by election rather than have Parish Council cliques or majorities do
dirty deals to co-opt a mate to help push through their own Motion, or defeat Motions
by an opposing group.
Residents may recall
the “Resolved - 7 to 4” voting
that dominated the Council voting, especially against the Hagg Lane Green Group,
when Councillors Mr. and Mrs. Strelczenie were both part of the “7”.
I imagine the Parish Clerk’s lawful minute, “a resident
had submitted a petition” stretches to reach the truth because only one
resident had delivered the paperwork to Selby.
It did not take all ten residents to carry it.
At a stretch, such writing could describe a petition
of a Million Signatures to Downing Street as “a bus-driver had submitted a petition!”
Do not always take the Parish Clerk’s lawful minutes, agreed
by nodding-donkey Councillors, at face value. I am still laughing at how the Nodding Donkeys
listened to the Chairman reading out her Annual Meeting minutes last month.
They agreed they were a true record. Not
one of them objected to the content. Two
residents had to convince the Chairman, Parish Clerk and Donkeys that a
resident’s film record showed there were residents at the meeting, residents
had spoken there, and it was in a completely different location.
Hemingbrough shares its Parish Council Clerk with Cliffe, Skipwith, Thorganby and Finningley if internet records are up to date. I hope they do not have Nodding Donkeys on their Councils.
